STATEHOUSE (April 3, 2025) – State Rep. Elizabeth Rowray (R-Yorktown) sponsored a Senate bill to help resolve the current shortage of child services workers within the Indiana Department of Child Services in order to better serve at-risk youth.
According to a report, as of 2024, DCS has a total of 1,325 vacant positions. 130 of those vacancies are for case work supervisors. Rowray sponsored Senate Bill 498 to help resolve the current labor shortage in child welfare services while maintaining a focus on child safety and well-being.
Senate Bill 498 would remove the graduate training requirement for a casework supervisor's qualifications, allowing for greater flexibility when meeting educational requirements. The bill would also expand qualifications for casework supervisors by permitting them to qualify with eight credit hours of master's degree-level courses in certain areas of study.
"These changes would make it easier for qualified individuals to advance into these important roles, allowing us to better serve the needs of our most vulnerable Hoosiers," Rowray said. "I'm honored to work with colleagues and sponsor this bill, which will help ensure that our child services professionals have the tools and staff they need to provide support to children and families."
In addition to changes in casework supervisor qualifications, the bill would remove the time period for a child's maximum stay at a group home, giving DCS the ability to grant waivers in certain circumstances. The bill also eliminates the minimum age requirement for the definition of "emergency shelter" and removes references to "emergency shelter care" and "emergency shelter care group home" from the definition of "licensee" in relation to health records and medications.
Current Indiana law requires that DCS may grant a waiver for children six years old and older to an emergency shelter for up to 20 days.
Rowray said the bill could increase the number of case work supervisors in the state by easing education and experience requirements, ultimately leading to more career opportunities and assistance for children in need.
Senate Bill 498 passed the House and Senate and now heads to the governor for consideration as a new law. For more information, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Elizabeth Rowray (R-Yorktown) represents House District 35,
which includes portions of Delaware and Madison counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
